Armada Skis 2024: The First Look
What the heck is a w3Dgewall?
Year after year, Armada owns their place in the ski industy. Cool graphics, wide range of skis, all with a focus on freestyle performance from the park to big mountain terrain. They’re also total ski nerds—always building unique ski shapes and fine tuning construction techniques. They continue to bring it year after year, and the Armada skis for 2024 are no different.
The big news from Armada this year is “w3Dgewall”. No, unfortunately, it’s not a 3D film of wedges and walls, but rather a new innovative way to improve a ski’s construction. Instead of your traditional sidewall that’s glued straight on the side of the ski, this sidewall is angled where it meets the wood core. This creates a mechanical bond in the mold between the sidewall and the wood core. Overall, Armada finds this increases edge hold at lighter weights and greatly increases durability.
Sidewalls already do a big chunk of the heavy lifting in your ski’s construction. They protect the wood core from anything getting in, but they also protect your skis avoid compressions from rocks or rails. If you land on a hard object, the sidewall (usually made from a denser plastic compared to wood) acts as a barrier and prevents the object from compressing the core. The sidewall takes the brunt of the impact, rather than your ski.
What’s New
Armada is incoprating this new sidewall tech into their ARV and ARW series. These skis have always blended all-mountain versatility with a focus on still being fun and rad to take into the park. Now, with their more durable construction, they’ll continue to be trusty steeds to smash rails, boxes, and rocks across the mountain.
We get three new skis in each series, with an ARV 100, 94, and 88. These skis replace the ARV 96 and 86 from previous years. The new skis all have the w3Dgewall sidewall construction, ash binding inserts, and new wood cores. The ash binding insert is significantly stronger than titanal, providing greater binding retention. In the park, and for hard skiing everywhere, we like our bindings to stay in our skis.
Armada included lightweight caruba cores in the new ARV 100 and 94. We normally see caruba in touring skis for the weight savings, but it also provides a softer flex. The new ARVs flex softer than previous versions, making them easier to butter, press, and swing around in the air without losing pop and liveliness.
The new ARV 88 is actually the stiffest in the new lineup. This ski uses a poplar core and was designed with more camber underfoot and a tighter turn radius. You’ll find the ARV 88 to be more stable in icy pipe walls, jumps, and landings.
The ARV 106, and 116 JJ all return without changes to their construction, and remain stiffer and more oriented for all-mountain skiing. Overall, the new ARVs are fine tuned for more park laps, without losing their all-mountain skills.
The ladies’ ARW series recieves the same updates, and equally rad new art.
Other Highlights
The Reliance and Declivity return as Armada’s more directional options in the lineup. Both skis get New Graphic Technology.
For our freestylers, the Edollo and BDOG return with fresh art.
The lightweight touring Locator collection returns unchanged. Armada adds an alternate color for the 104, 96, and 88. The 112 stays cherry red.
Armada always churns out interesting and wacky new shapes with the Zero Series skis. Armada brings these skis back unchanged for 2024. The ski-enthusiast favorites like the massively tapered ARG II UL, the “is-how-it-sounds” BDOG Edgeless, small-framed shredding Short Pants Paradox, and the no-fresh-snow machine Stranger continue to fuel our wild ski dreams.
